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[Feedback Request] Seasonal Tech Discussed in May Livestream

VaknarVaknar Member, Staff
edited June 2022 in General Discussion
Hello glorious community,

We’d like your feedback on the weather system discussed during the May 2022 Development Update Livestream.

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https://youtu.be/iYN5PWlST4Q
https://youtu.be/dhvQEPuexjg

To help guide this conversation, here are a few thought starters:
  • What aspects of weather in-game are important to you?
  • Do you feel anything is missing from the weather system that we’ve shared so far?
  • Are there types of weather in other games that you feel are done well? If so, what makes the weather in those games good?
  • Is there anything you’re excited or concerned about regarding what was shown with the weather system?

Please don’t feel limited by the thought starters above. If there’s anything you’d like to share about the weather system for Ashes of Creation, leave us a comment as we want to know your thoughts.

We’ll be compiling a report for the design team on Friday, June 10, 2022, so please try to get your feedback into this thread by then!

Everyone here at Intrepid Studios looks forward to reading all of the feedback you have to share regarding the weather system!
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Comments

  • SongcallerSongcaller Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    I loved the weather systems in Conan exile but one man should not control the weather lol ;)
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  • TyranthraxusTyranthraxus Member, Alpha Two
    I can't wait to get to re-watch this, probably tomorrow! Made it to the live stream today, but had to mute it 10 minutes in, for work-from-home.

    The environmental work was ***AMAZING***! Even the feathered headress's top feathers and the cape on the back blew, when there were hard winds. I noticed the vegetation on the side of the tower didn't seem to have the same effect, but that's fine. Steven mentioned this will be the world environment, going into Alpha 2.

    Getting to see the fast-motion of the seasonal change animations between the snow in the cold and the re-emergence of the vegetation as the warmer temperatures came back in was jaw-dropping. Even the flower-buds in the weeds/grass would spring to life, then wilt and die. The custom-effects you guys have put the time in adding to the UE5 setting is TOTALLY worth it, in seeing the visibility and fog and glare effects over/across the lake. The big head-statue was a great focal point, in noticing how the world-detail will become clearer/more obscured, between different inclement weather and the different seasons.

    I can't think of another game whose weather and day/night cycles have looked as good - for the few that even attempt it! Intrepid didn't *need* to change the animals' appearance between seasons - but just that extra touch is wonderful to see. Can't wait to experience it, first-hand!
  • SnowElfSnowElf Member, Alpha Two
    Q:What aspects of weather in-game are important to you?
    A: Immersion is imperative and I do feel like the development team has really outdone themselves. The interaction of the character's robe and helmet model as the wind picked up was a really beautiful thing to see. Including the audio with the change of season or weather changes was an incredibly amazing element to witness. A great example being the woodpecker in the winter time, or hearing the leaves rustle when Autumn came around. Chefs kiss.

    Q:Do you feel anything is missing from the weather system that we’ve shared so far?
    A: I'd love to see lightning actually strike the ground and cause maybe some smoke or a small fire in the environment! But other than that, not really, no. I think they captured it really well. It would be very cool to see a unique weather patterns develop though, like a meteor shower, the northern lights, or just having a completely made up type of weather which would really make the playerbase lose their minds!


    Q:Are there types of weather in other games that you feel are done well? If so, what makes the weather in
    those games good?
    A: Zelda, Breath of The Wild had a pretty good weather system when it came to thunderstorms. Depending on the time of day, the current weather pattern, certain mobs would spawn which was really cool to see.


    Q:Is there anything you’re excited or concerned about regarding what was shown with the weather system?
    A: I LOVE weather, especially thunderstorms. I'm excited to see how far the development team can go in order to create that next level of immersion with Unreal Engine 5.
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  • AzheraeAzherae Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    What aspects of weather in-game are important to you?
    Everything that was shown.

    Do you feel anything is missing from the weather system that we’ve shared so far?
    Everything is perfect.

    Are there types of weather in other games that you feel are done well? If so, what makes the weather in those games good?
    I don't play other games beyond FFXI that do a good enough job of weather, and that game is too old for comparison, other than to say that everything it could manage to do with it's 20-year old tech, has been lovingly recreated and I am 100% here for it, there's nothing to ask for when you've done everything.

    Is there anything you’re excited or concerned about regarding what was shown with the weather system?
    Glad you asked. (please merge this in if it doesn't deserve its own topic).
    I have no concerns at this time.
    ♪ One Gummy Fish, two Gummy Fish, Red Gummy Fish, Blue Gummy Fish ♪
  • SongRuneSongRune Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    edited May 2022
    That was spectacular. There's nothing left to say. Everything that you just showed us is exactly what the game should be. I've been concerned, and posted before about the incredibly immersive sound of footsteps in wet terrain, and the sound and experience of rain falling, so hearing both will be in there, and expecting interactions with wind as well, I'm ready to log in. Like @Azherae, I'm from FFXI (as far as meaningful weather goes), and you've got it covered. I've had experiences there that just suck me in immediately, and with everything I've seen, I expect to have just as many here.

    Good job, guys. Seriously
  • GrandSerpentGrandSerpent Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    What aspects of weather in-game are important to you?

    Pretty much everything mentioned on the stream. The only point which wasn't specifically noted was weather and wind direction affecting the steering and speed of ships, as this seems like it would result in interesting gameplay.

    Do you feel anything is missing from the weather system that we’ve shared so far?

    This looks phenomenal so far, the weather tech is impressive, and the art direction and environment assets shown off on stream are, as always, fantastic. Looking forward to seeing more.

    Are there types of weather in other games that you feel are done well? If so, what makes the weather in those games good?

    I'll also echo the point Azherae made about FFXI - weather in that game had some pretty meaningful effects on everything from spawn rates of enemies to the effectiveness of magic, and in-game weather forecasts were important for planning activities.

    Is there anything you’re excited or concerned about regarding what was shown with the weather system?

    The system shown off on stream looked incredible in pretty much every way. My only real concern is the quantity of work from the art team that'd be required to replicate the level of quality seen on stream, for all areas in the game.
  • LudulluLudullu Member, Alpha Two
    My feedback? HUGE THANK YOU! It looks amazing and I'm sure you'll make it even better before release.
  • -T0Mb--T0Mb- Member, Alpha Two
    edited May 2022
    It was a very mesmerizing show! Magnificent! <3

    For me, the most important aspects in the weather in-game are realism and opportunities. It was very cool to see how well you have made weathers work in the Riverlands biome and I can't wait to see how other biomes will react to weather changes. I loved to hear that weather can affect to so many thing like crop harvesting, movement, animals etc.

    In the future I would love to see how seasons affect in fishing. Will the fishing be more difficult during winter or do you have to just change fishing methods? For example if a lake gets frozen in winter can players dig holes into ice and do ice fishing?

    Guild Wars 2 has nice weather mechanics. In that game there was some little weather changes, like raining and snowing, but seasons didn't change in different areas. I liked very much snowy areas especially when it was snowing there.

    Everything that you showed us in this update was exciting and I can't wait to see how weather systems will work on other biomes! Good luck! B)

    P.S. I'm looking forward to see you using a Dünir dwarf when you are showing us some cool things in Verra. ;)
  • E942E942 Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    I just watched the season video on youtube, wanted to give som input : Tropical places usually have dry season in winter and rain season in summer :)
  • ipeipe Member, Alpha Two
    edited May 2022
    i Liked most enivroment effect specially on grounds. But windier moments wasnt synced to water effects. For example grass moved alot but barely anything on seen on water reflections changes. Also i know this was ment to be "Wales" winter to me it wasnt winter. It felt late late autumn as Northern Europeans citizen. I hope Mountain areas has more more snow and could see even snow blizzards. Also windy snow effect reminds of white sand instead of real wind snow effect.

    One question about water or lake/river areas. Can those froze compeletety on winter season?
  • SkribbySkribby Member
    Looks amazing, such a great idea to have actual seasons in the game instead of only different climate biomes. How long are the seasons in-game?
  • XixuanXixuan Member
    edited May 2022
    What aspects of weather in-game are important to you?
    Sound effects can make or break weather, rain and snow should make a player feel isolated and disoriented to a degree so when it is sunny everything feels alot safer and more open to exploration.

    Do you feel anything is missing from the weather system that we’ve shared so far?
    The wind sound and fog effects for winter were absolutely amazing, of course the audio will probably be mixed and we might have a weather sound slider but i feel like making it slightly louder would go a long way to create immersion, for example, as ive said the wind effect was perfect but the audio level of some of the crows seemed a bit too loud, not sure if that is a biome thing or weather but i feel that should be tuned a bit. Keep the weather effects louder and muffle the other noises when its so windy, rain should also be louder and a bit quicker, not sure if we will have separate rain like light and hard pour but it would be awesome to just have more of it and make it more impactful. Not sure if it fits "weather" but the road dirt texture seemed a bit too flat and clean, it will probably be improved but i just wanted to mention it :)

    Are there types of weather in other games that you feel are done well? If so, what makes the weather in those games good?
    Maybe Chimeraland, while not particularly well done sound wise, the weather in that game is very cool visually, one of the best features is random meteor showers which look absolutely amazing when you are just running through the world and suddenly look up, its a magical experience for sure and id love to maybe see it implemented down the line if it fits in with the world.

    Is there anything you’re excited or concerned about regarding what was shown with the weather system?
    Very excited to explore the world and see the mobs with their different color variants, cannot wait for the collision to be added to interact with vegetation so when you run through a big field of grass and flowers it will adjust to your character movement. I am worried about the ice blockage and some routes being closed, like the devs have said, players might get stuck but i hope it will be all worked out.

    All in all, the team has made truly something amazing thank you so much for creating something so stunning and letting us witness the progress and improvement!
  • keyframekeyframe Member, Founder, Kickstarter, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    edited May 2022
    First of all, love what I've seen so far. I think, overall as long as the weather within a season is varied enough (snowing on and off throughout winter and for a decent amount of time), you've done something really great here and I'm excited to see what else comes out of this system.

    My only other feedback until more of interactions that the weather has on the world come into play, is that personally I'm leaning towards 1.5-2 weeks per season. I think I'd prefer two personally but depends how it feels and that's obviously something that will only come with time. Only having it as a week just seems too short, and would remove some of that wonder about the system cause it happens too often. Especially if you consider the people that aren't playing every day. From a design perspective, I wouldn't want to alienate players from participating in the gathering / crafting system by having them feel like they missed out on or having to wait another month for the right season to come again. With having it somewhere around two weeks I think you give everyone a chance to play at their own pace, while also making the turn of the season a lot more impactful, as it's not something that happens as frequently.
  • George_BlackGeorge_Black Member, Intrepid Pack, Alpha Two
    You must be so proud. Looks great.
  • BatreshBatresh Member
    edited May 2022
    Do you feel anything is missing from the weather system that we’ve shared so far?
    Living in the countryside. I usually wake up early just to watch the misty lake.
    It would be nice for Intrepid to add fog that floats above the water during the morning/night. More prominent during certain seasons bn3sojd3szia.jpg
  • CawwCaww Member, Alpha Two
    The sky needs a lot of variations; thunderstorms need lightening and menacing clouds along with the rain and some hail, the summer sky needs beautiful sunsets/sunrises and puffy/fluffy clouds and long drawn-out lengths of clouds with striations; after the rain there should be a chance of large rainbows.
  • SongcallerSongcaller Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    In exiles, if you walk into some weather unpepaired you are dead in seconds. Weather should affect the economy, environmental effects should affect the players. Weather can affect environment but a lava environment would decimate winter environment for example.

    Have fun,
    Neurath.
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  • LashLash Member, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    Would be very cool to see this tech used to make corruption spread in real time. Automatically changing the foliage to look corrupted and spawning in corrupted mobs.
  • LinikerLiniker Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    edited May 2022
    The weather system does look fucking amazing already, never seen something even close to that on a single-player game. Camera effects look awesome, the butterflies, snow and rain all look good, I say don't worry about it don't add extra stuff maybe just some heavy stroms, but get the environment team working on building the rest of the world and adding all that good stuff to the rest of the map so we can see this game before AA2 releases... it would be bad for another game on UE5 steal all these ideas you are showing and releasing first...

    Something I didn't like was the render distance, it seems really limited to a close range, I'd like to see a solution for this, allow people that have high end graphics card to push this to the max settings or even if it's a lower quality rendering solution for longer distances just do something that doesn't show a complete plain without any grass 40 meters away from you render.png
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  • iccericcer Member
    I'm amazed. Especially because there's so much potential, where the environment, weather and seasons can affect so many things.

    I love how seasons will impact the economy, especially if areas have different climate distribution. Just imagine doing those trade runs, carrying materials (like spices, certain plants, flowers, mushrooms, etc.) from a desert/hot/summer area to a mountainous/snowy/winter area that lacks those materials. This is like Archeage but x100 better.
  • AtamaAtama Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    One thing I'd like to see if possible; can rain raise the level of rivers? Or even cause them to flood?

    Would NPCs seek shelter indoors when the weather is bad?

    I think it would be interesting if weather could possibly act as an obstacle in some ways, and if there was an in-game skill related to weather forecasting, to help a player prepare ahead of time.
     
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  • SongcallerSongcaller Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    Economic update:

    Potions for environmental protection in certain extra curricular zones.

    Survival system for survival zones. Rpg systems for experience zones lol.

    Have no fear, I'll be here.
    Neurath.
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  • DygzDygz Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    edited May 2022
    Seems like something we need are altars across the world where multiple people can chant to change the local weather.
    Might be something that a Frost-focused Guild does during a Castle Siege, for example, chanting to evoke Winter.
  • CoollerCooller Member
    edited May 2022
    Vaknar wrote: »
    Hello glorious community,
      [1*] What aspects of weather in-game are important to you? [2*] Do you feel anything is missing from the weather system that we’ve shared so far? [3*] Are there types of weather in other games that you feel are done well? If so, what makes the weather in those games good? [4*] Is there anything you’re excited or concerned about regarding what was shown with the weather system?

    1. I think one of the most important aspects that weather brings to light is gathering specific material that is growing/appears only while certain conditions are true. This can very easily shift the whole economy, which is awesome and I love the hidden stuff idea.

    2. I'd definitely love to see weather affect combat somehow, not drastically so we'd not be literally forced to wait but each class should have a moment during the day and weather where it feels most powerful and most weak as well. (i.e: rogue during night and rain contra bright day on snow)

    3. I play dayZ which is a survival game, so the weather really in-depth affects the gameplay (food is frozen and needs to be defrosted, body temperature fluctuates, so you need to cloth respectively, etc.), but this is specific to the genre, honestly, I don't really want these mechanics in the type of game AoC seems to be.
    But it would be nice to have the opportunity to use that weather for my benefit somehow, not mandatory tho... there should be more important things to focus

    4. I'm slightly worried about one thing in particular that Steven said during the show-off.
    He said the weather will be on the weekly reset period. I really hope you consider this, because with that all said, there definitely will be certain benefits from the weather. Quickly changeable events are annoying over time, people would definitely use this to select their daily content because there is no reason to wait in that scenario, which I don't think is a good approach, for example, in the world of warcraft, there are dungeon 'affixes' which feels the same like this if it keeps switching that quick.
    My solution would be mimic IRL weather with some specific locations or "events" that could cause weather change for some time or be tight specific to some conditions for the whole year, but overall it should definitely feel unique to the season. Depends on how long is a 'year' in the game and how the time flows in general. I believe making it a casual weekly event will remove that aspect completely.
  • TyranthraxusTyranthraxus Member, Alpha Two
    Dygz wrote: »
    Seems like something we need are altars across the world where multiple people can chant to change the local weather.
    Might be something that a Frost-focused Guild does during a Castle Siege, for example, chanting to evoke Winter.

    They've yet to announce what the Religious Node super-power will be, for a level 6 Node; I'm personally hoping it has something to do with controlling the weather, as that seems like it'd be a divinity-based mechanic.
  • SongcallerSongcaller Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    Would rather have input rng like lol. It needs to be on the fly, unpredictable and conquered by skill. I do not want money wasted on novelties when serious systems would generate more players.
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  • SongcallerSongcaller Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    To clarify:

    If I make portions required for all pvp, it is no longer a mechanic, it is a base. If it is a base it should not be separate or charged for extra.

    Campaigns of dnd span decades. I want varied campaigns with seasonal considerations. Not some convulsed system whereby the most powerful input rng is placed in the hards of a warlock who wants to be a weatherman but not a healer.

    Therefore, I give systems to improve the game. Not systems for personal entertainment.
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  • SongcallerSongcaller Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    Ps. Sorry for the spelling. I am at work.

    Peace,
    Neurath.
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  • DygzDygz Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    Tyranthraxus wrote: »
    They've yet to announce what the Religious Node super-power will be, for a level 6 Node; I'm personally hoping it has something to do with controlling the weather, as that seems like it'd be a divinity-based mechanic.
    Well, altars imply divine prayer, sure, but...
    Could also be rune circles or henges that are arcane-based, rather than divine-based.
    This should not be restricted to Religious Nodes, I think.
    But, yeah, depending on the lore, could be something that comes from Religious Orgs or Social Orgs or both.
  • DrunkninjaDrunkninja Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    Valheims weather system when you are sailing. Between the fog, wind and stormy waters with huge waves it feels really good. Should take a look at its system for possible ideas
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